Thanksgiving Blues
Every year, the Thanksgiving holiday season gives me the blues. Not only do the
skies fade to gun-metal grey for three or four months, but I also get to
thinking about all the things that I haven't done. If that's not a recipe for
the blues, I don't know what is.
This year, I'm approaching the holiday season just a little differently. Based
in part on my reaction to the tragic events of September 11th, and in part
feeling every creak and crack of my 43rd year on the planet, I'm thankful for a
lot more than a couple extra days off from my day job for the Veterans Day and
Thanksgiving Day holidays. Although I'm wandering into middle age, or what
monologist Spalding Gray has called "the Bermuda triangle of health," I'm
looking forward to doing stuff that I've never done in November before, like
going on a day hike (even in the rain), or spending more time outdoors, even in
the rain. I don't know if 9/11 jump-started me on this train of thought or not,
but I'll be hitting the outdoor gear stores for some raingear for the first time
in a long, long time.
Of course, I'm not going to venture out into the wilderness without some blues
CDs in my backpack. That clearly would not be safe. Just look it up in your
winter blues' hiking manual when I get around to writing one. First rule would
be to pack at least four new blues CDs beneath that poncho, and to never, ever
go anywhere without the blues. You just never know what can happen out there.
Well, no month would be complete without a few great new blues releases, and
this November's no different. So here's some discs I'll pack for my walk in the
woods.
This month, I've reviewed a handful of blues releases in the CD Reviews screens
of Cosmik Debris, and I hope you will check 'em out. After you read my column,
of course. Toronto's Paul Reddick + The Sidemen feature some of the grittiest
vocals and harp parts since Howlin' Wolf, and this band definitely lives up to
that high praise, worthy of comparison to Mr. Chester Burnett. One of
Louisiana's favorite sons, Chris Thomas King, has a new record of old stuff out
on Arhoolie Records, and these gems from the 1980's are thankfully seeing the
light of day. More about Chris' daddy, Rockin' Tabby Thomas, later on.
Portland's own Paul de Lay has a new record out on Evidence Records, and he's
got a brand new bag with a soulful set of harp-powered blues. True to form, the
big man's doing something new this time out. He's replaced the bass guitar with
the B-3. It works. Don't take my word for it, though. Take a listen to Heavy
Rotation and find out. My final blues treat over in the CD Reviews section of
this month's Cosmik Debris features one of Buddy Guy's favorite guitar players,
circa 1968. John Funchess, who recorded as John Littlejohn, carried on Elmore
James' slide guitar tradition in a big way.
I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving by paying tribute to some
bluesmen who have served their country.
Snooky Pryor first experimented with amplifying musical instruments in the Army.
Before he plugged in his harp on Maxwell Street, he played "Reveille" and "Taps"
on the bugle for the troops on the island of New Caledonia through the
Government Issue public address system across the base. When he returned home
to Chicago in the mid-forties, he wowed 'em on Maxwell Street with a new sound:
plugged in harmonica.
Elmore James served in the US Navy in World War II, and saw action in Guam in
the South Pacific. After a brief stint in uniform, he returned home to the
Mississippi Delta town of Belzoni, Mississippi, and picked up where he left off
before his induction ceremony playing juke joints with Sonny Boy Williamson and
Homesick James Williamson.
Some vets might quarrel with how I define veteran, but I'd like to add Alvin
"Youngblood" Hart on this list for his duty in the U.S. Coast Guard. 
In
peacetime, this service is a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation,
until this service is brought under the Federal umbrella. Prior to settling in
the San Francisco Bay area in the 1990's, Alvin "Youngblood" Hart served seven
years in the Coast Guard. When I saw him at the Kennedy Center last year, he
talked about the story behind his "Ouachita Run" where families from nearby
towns along the Mississippi would greet the Coast Guard supply ship as it plied
the Great Muddy.
Finally, I'd like to salute one of my favorite Louisiana blues players, Tabby
Thomas. Rockin' Tabby spent some time in the Air Force, and he's grown into a
Louisiana musical legend with his weekly radio show on KBRH Classic Soul, and
his Baton Rouge club, The Blues Box.
If any of these bluesmen held court at the NCO club when I was in the Army, I
might have stayed in. I'd be less than two years from retirement instead of 20,
but that's the breaks. Should've listed to my First Sergeant.
I wish I could find more information on blueswomen who've served our country.
If you have any news on women who've served and play the blues, drop me a note.
I'll be happy to salute them in a future Cosmik Blues.
Until then, Happy Thanksgiving. And, to our veterans, thanks.
